Top 5: AL East Third Basemen of 2015
Oct 4, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria (3) tags out Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Ben Revere (7) as he attempted to steal during the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
3) Evan Longoria – Tampa Bay Rays
Bio: 30 y/o, 6’2″, 210 lbs, bats right, & throws right
MLB Years: 8
Games Played in 2015: 160 (148 as 3B)
Offense:
- .270 batting average
- .328 on-base percentage
- .435 slugging percentage
- 21 home runs & 73 RBIs
- 51 walks to 132 strikeouts
Defense:
- 2.49 range factor
- .976 fielding percentage
- 9 errors, 259 assists, & 109 putouts
‘It’ Factor: Consistently Good
His numbers are not what they once were, but Longoria was still a solid player at third base for a less-than-stellar Rays team. Longoria still hit with power and got on base any way he could, but his walks and strikeouts still were not as good as the other two men ahead of him on this list.
Defensively, he had the fewest errors of the five, but Longoria also wasn’t putting himself on many occasions to screw up a play. He didn’t belly flop like Sandoval, trying to catch a popped bunt and crashing into failure, but it’s not like fans can remember that many big moments where his defense saved many ballgames, either. It could be age catching up with him; however, Longoria isn’t the oldest in this group and he’s only a year older than two of the others, yet they seem to be able to make some big plays.
Still, Longoria’s performance was middle of the pack, which explains where he landed on this list. Any team would still love to have the veteran on their team to stabilize the position. The Red Sox and the Yankees sure wouldn’t mind, as long as it was through free agency and not at a loss of big prospects in a trade. Since he’s signed through 2022 for $105.5 million, don’t expect anything happening any time soon. Longoria should retire as a Rays third baseman and continue to be a solid investment for at least a few more years.